Good evening,
I was going through some material this evening for another story, when I ran across Mr. Behnke's article "Wild Trout and Native Trout: Is There A Difference?"
FYI, I quote;

"The term "Exotic" means introduced from a foreign country. The Brown Trout is an exotic, nonnative species in N. America, where it has been highly successful in establishing "wild" populations. No Trout, nor any species of the family Salmonidae, is native to the Southern Hemisphere; thus, all "wild" Brown and Rainbow Trout in New Zealand and South America are exotic, nonative species."

"There are a few anglers with a romantic ideal of "Naturalness." For them, catching a rare native trout in its native enviroment is comparable to a book collector obtaining a rare first edition. In both cases, knowledge of subject matter and a deep appreciation of authenticity is "required" for fulfillment"

"A more pragmatic reason for concern for native Trout and Salmon relates to the preservation of the diversity of adaptations. This Mainly pertains to diversity among races and populations (intraspecific diversity). Much of this diversity has been lost. The American Fisheries Society has determined that 107 distinct races of Pacific Salmon, Steelhead, and Costal Cuthroat Trout are extinct, and more than 200 other races are in serious decline."

"This awareness of the importance of preserving all of the parts of a species, or at least the remaining parts, is a relatively recent phenomenon. How people percieve nature, and how this perception is translated into public policy by government agencies has an interesting history that explains much of the loss of diversity of our native Trout and Salmon"